I have Type 2, diagnosed several years ago. I am 32 years old and have been on insulin for four years. I heard that it was okay to reuse disposable syringes. Is that true? If it is true how do you reuse them?

Answer:

Yes, it is true that many patients re-use their disposable syringes. Many, many studies have been done to show that people don't get infections from themselves. When patients ask me how many times they can use a syringe, I tell them, "you'll know" (based on whether it hurts). Be very careful re-capping and don't touch the needle and put it in a safe place. Don't use alcohol to clean the needle because you will remove the lubricant and the syringe will no longer be "slippery" and will tend to hurt more.

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Last Updated: Tuesday April 06, 2010 15:09:06
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